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Gabriela Escobar

Ms. McMains

English 10 Honors

November 13, 2012

Similar Weaknesses Between Sheep and People

In life, two species can be compared. When compared similar qualities may be found

between the two. In this case, one can find this similarity in the weaknesses of Santiago’s sheep

in The Alchemist and people who fail to pursue their Personal Legend. People don’t always

strive, and sometimes people fail when searching for their Personal Legend. Weaknesses

Santiago sees in his sheep are their indifference, pessimism, and dependence which also relate to

the weaknesses of humans who fail to pursue their Personal Legend.

One of the weaknesses Santiago notices in his sheep is their indifference. Paulo Coelho

wrote, “They were content with just food and water, and in exchange, they generously gave of

their wool, company, and – once in a while – their meat,” (7). In The Alchemist, Santiago’s sheep

don’t care about what happens around them. As long as the sheep get what they want, they’ll be

fine. This is a weakness because a person who is indifferent doesn’t care about what happens to

them. Just like the sheep who are indifferent, people who are indifferent don’t achieve their

Personal Legend.

Another weakness Santiago sees in his sheep is their pessimism towards their

surroundings. Paulo Coelho wrote, “The problem is that they don’t even realize that they’re

walking a new road every day. They don’t even see that the fields are new and the seasons

change,” (10-11). In The Alchemist, the sheep’s pessimism affects their life because the sheep

constantly do the same routine every day. People who fail to pursue their Personal Legend don’t

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notice how fast time passes by, and people aren’t alert of where they are or what is going on. In

fact, this is very important because time and seasons are very important to a traveler on a

journey. People, who are pessimistic, like the sheep, aren’t aware of their surroundings, which

play a very important role on their journey to their Personal Legend.

The last weakness Santiago sees in the sheep is their dependence on him. Paulo Coelho

wrote, “If I ever decided to leave them, they would suffer,” (27). It is obvious by this statement

that the sheep can’t survive if things aren’t handed to them. This quote shows the reader that the

sheep don’t have the ability to get survival items for themselves, and some people have the same

problem on their journey to pursuing their Personal Legend. People who are dependent can’t

move on in life if they can’t learn to do tasks on their own.

The weaknesses Santiago sees in his sheep are their indifference, pessimism, and

dependence. All of these weaknesses relate to people who fail to pursue their Personal Legend.

In this case, if a person has not matures and learned from life experiences, there will be a great

probability that they will fail to pursue their Personal Legend. It is very important that a person

who is searching for their Personal Legend prevents themselves from being indifferent,

pessimistic, and dependent. If one avoids these qualities Santiago’s sheep obtain, that person is

on the perfect path to pursuing their Personal Legend.

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Works Cited

Coelho, Paulo. The Alchemist.

Trans. Alan R. Clarke. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1998. Print.